CLEWISTON, Fla — A night meant for dancing turned tragic in a Clewiston Neighborhood Friday Night - the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office said shots were fired into a building, killing 16-year-old Ja’yhanna Johnson.
As Fox 4’s Hendry County Community Correspondent, I work in this area every day, so I used my connections with the school district to talk to Johnson’s cheerleading coach about how much she meant to her team and the community.
The Hendry County Sheriff’s Office says they got several calls about gunshots fired into a building on Harlem Tenants Circle during the dance. When they arrived, deputies said they found Johnson unresponsive with a gunshot wound.
Robyn Basquin, her cheerleading coach at Clewiston High, said she was devastated when she heard what happened.
“I just started teaching these girls in July, and if I didn’t think I loved them before this, man do I know now,” said Basquin, holding back tears.
Basquin said Johnson was not only a talented base on the team but a joy to coach, lighting up every practice with her smile.
“Her personality and her smile was just everything. Like, being out there, you didn’t even have to hear her voice, but to see her smile and her face was all it took,” said Basquin.
Basquin said Ja’yhanna’s unwavering positivity is something they’ll carry with them forever.
“It didn’t matter what the situation was, or what was going on around her, she didn’t let that bring her down. She kept pressing forward, did what was asked of her. So, I think just with anything, especially what we’re doing through now, one thing we can learn from Jay is to have a positive attitude, a positive outlook on life,” said Basquin.
The day after the shooting, Basquin said the community gathered at a nearby church to honor Johnson’s life.
“That place was packed. I think that was a testament to Jay, who she was in our community and in our town,” she said.
Hendry County detectives say they’re interviewing witnesses and following leads to track down a suspect.
They urge anyone with information that could help to call the Hendry County Sheriff’s Office or CrimeStoppers.
